Monday, June 11, 2012

Metric and Lou?

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I think the same thing is running through the mind of most others who have grabbed a copy of Metric's newest release, Synthetica - and that's, "How did they get Lou Reed on the album?"

Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for Metric, Emily Haines and their progression into Canadian indie notoriety over their many years on the scene - but I was still a little surprised to hear Reed, the veteran songwriter behind The Velvet Underground and his own solo success, had been chosen to duel Haine's lulling schoolgirl vocals on the track "The Wanderlust." My surprise expanded when I also discovered that, despite my overall indifference with most of Metric's newer material, it's actually a really lovely song.

As you can guess from the title - and perhaps from listening to the rest of the album and Haines' insinuated exhaustion with the hyper-connected, device-laden internet world we live in - the song is a pretty plea for fateful romance following a life of roaming, impulsive journeying. Throughout the song - a sort of bright aerial flash of 80s-sounding sweetness - Reed's typically moody howl converses with Haines in the song's choruses, next to a starry electric guitar and echoey, retro kickdrum. Although an unexpected and odd pairing, the generational gap surprisingly isn't jarring - and the contrast between the two is actually as dreamy as the song. Enjoy!